New-Tech Europe Magazine | February 2018

measured values start to deviate from an expected mean value. At some point in time, measurements may start to fail and being able to identify such trends early can reveal that, for instance, RF probes are getting worn out. Another example might be that the analysis shows a lot more failures during the night-shift hours. The user can then start looking into what might be different in the factory environment during those hours, or perhaps whether the operators working the night shift need more training on the equipment. Conclusion The system described in this article is designed for use by engineers who are developing Bluetooth low energy enabled products and need a test system for manufacturing that is cost effective. It is a turn-key solution that is easy to use and reduces time to market, while at the same time being flexible, scalable, and powerful, allowing users to grow their system as their needs change.

Figure 3. Bluetooth 4.2 test parameters supported by the Anritsu/RTX test system

is a database. This central database contains information about the DUT and all its different variants and revisions, test stimuli and limits definitions, firmware, Bluetooth address pool, MT8852B specific information, and all the collected test data. Powerful The system can be used as it is “out of the box”, making it very easy to use and hence shortening time to production and time to market. Moreover, because it is highly customisable it can also be very powerful. The basic unit can be extended to support testing of up to 16 DUTs in parallel. The RF probe fixture is also highly customisable to take into account the fact that every user’s hardware is different, and can either be made according to the user’s specification or by the users themselves.

The RTX Testgear software platform also includes templates and guidelines allowing the user to swiftly develop their own test cases: for instance, baseband tests such as measuring voltage supplies and current consumption using the built-in digital voltmeter. The software further includes a tool for extracting test data from the database, where the user can make custom queries with filters applied to select only the relevant data. There is also an optional module that allows for even more powerful statistical data analysis. It can, for example, show measurement data distribution over time, from which the user can spot if

Figure 4. Screen shot from Testgear software showing measurement data distribution over time

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